Trivial Pursuit

Don't look now, but the Maryland General Assembly is mulling over legislation to require motorists to put on their headlights every time they they turn on their windshield wipers.The bill, which would make it illegal to drive through an August sun shower with lights off, was proposed by Sen. William Amoss, who thinks the legislation should be approved because "it's a good bill."There is plenty room for argument on that score -- weighing, for instance, the safety benefits of headlights in the fog to, say, the increased risk posed by drivers fumbling to turn on the lights, flip on the wipers, turn down the radio and the watch the road.

FRIDAY HAIRSPRAY: Good morning, Baltimore! Can hefty, feisty Tracy Turnblad make it to teen dance sensation status? Find out when John Waters' musical plays the Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave., at 8 p.m. Friday and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $45 to $65. Go to ticketmaster.com. BALTIMORE BLAST: It's hard not to have a fun time at a Baltimore Blast game between all the on-field antics, the big-screen contests and the silly giveaways. The hometown footie team takes on Monterrey LaRaZa at 1st Mariner Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St., at 7:35 p.m. There's also a 7:35 p.m. game versus the Milwaukee Wave on Saturday.

If you're at the track today and are suddenly blinded by money, there may be a reason. The combined worth of the owners of the Preakness starters is stunning.The list starts with the Summa Stable partners -- Bruce McNall, Wayne Gretzky and Magic Johnson -- and works its way through other owners who made their fortunes in a variety of endeavors including banking, communications, cattle, insurance, doughnuts, supermarkets, real estate, aircraft, Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary. (For owner biographies, see Page 4C.)

By Mimi Avins and By Mimi Avins,Special to the Sun | December 22, 2002

In the annals of social interaction, Trivial Pursuit is a big deal. Word and board games had existed before 1982, when the brain tickler in a box became widely available, and of course people had gathered together for an evening of conversation before then. But no board game created for adults had ever become such a phenomenal success, even among those who didn't play cards or chess and who thought children's games like Monopoly were insomnia cures. Although its impact on social life at the end of the 20th century was not as profound as the invention of e-mail, Trivial Pursuit did start its own little revolution, fought by an army of competitors willing to take off their Walkman earphones, turn off their computers and leave the cathode-ray glow of their TV sets to play games designed for groups of grown-ups.

By Mimi Avins and By Mimi Avins,Special to the Sun | December 22, 2002

In the annals of social interaction, Trivial Pursuit is a big deal. Word and board games had existed before 1982, when the brain tickler in a box became widely available, and of course people had gathered together for an evening of conversation before then. But no board game created for adults had ever become such a phenomenal success, even among those who didn't play cards or chess and who thought children's games like Monopoly were insomnia cures. Although its impact on social life at the end of the 20th century was not as profound as the invention of e-mail, Trivial Pursuit did start its own little revolution, fought by an army of competitors willing to take off their Walkman earphones, turn off their computers and leave the cathode-ray glow of their TV sets to play games designed for groups of grown-ups.

By Hilary E. MacGregor and Hilary E. MacGregor,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | December 10, 2001

Lean back. Shut your eyes. Think '80s. Think Journey. Oliver North. Wham! Savings-and-loan scandal. Michael Milken. White House astrologers. The glory days of excess, selfishness, greed. Me! Most of us can attest, as decades go, that the 1980s were a low point; a time of big hair, bad music and grasping materialism. But, like a fine wine, given the mellowing influence of time, even the goofiest decade is ripe for nostalgia. At least that is what three sibling entrepreneurs, all in their 20s, were banking on when they came up with their idea for The 80's Game.

'Tis a wonderful season, what with carolers crooning, cash registers ringing and folks getting that slightly crazed, holidazed feeling. We'll try to help -- or at least give you a few seasonal laughs along the way -- in The Sun.Gifts for geniusesSmart shopping takes on a new meaning with the help of Mensa, the club for people whose IQs are in the top 2 percent of the population.A panel of game-loving mental giants reviewed 80 games -- submitted by toy companies -- and suggested the following as stimulating holiday gifts:*Taboo, a word-guessing game by Milton Bradley;*TriBond, a word-association game by Big Fun A Go Go;*Abalone, a strategy game by Abalone Games;*Scattergories, a category guessing game by Milton Bradley,*Trivial Pursuit (Genus Edition)

THEY SAY that television game shows aren't as popular as they used to be, but "Jeopardy!" is still going strong.I'd rather watch talk shows, which seem to be proliferating like rabbits, because I love to talk and I hate games unless they are out-of-doors and I've got a front seat or am part of the action.If there is one thing that makes me feel inferior, it is "Jeopardy!" and its answers that have to be put in the form of questions by three contestants who you know have been boning up for weeks on reference books and almanacs.

FRIDAY HAIRSPRAY: Good morning, Baltimore! Can hefty, feisty Tracy Turnblad make it to teen dance sensation status? Find out when John Waters' musical plays the Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave., at 8 p.m. Friday and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $45 to $65. Go to ticketmaster.com. BALTIMORE BLAST: It's hard not to have a fun time at a Baltimore Blast game between all the on-field antics, the big-screen contests and the silly giveaways. The hometown footie team takes on Monterrey LaRaZa at 1st Mariner Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St., at 7:35 p.m. There's also a 7:35 p.m. game versus the Milwaukee Wave on Saturday.

Mary Pat Blaylock hopes to have the toy industry humming about her fledgling business in Columbia's Long Reach Village next year.Two years ago, while studying for her master's degree in business administration at Georgetown University, she decided she wanted to start herown business.Last week, a Mall in Columbia toy store agreed to buy the first 24 boxes of "Humm. . .ble," a board game Blaylock and her husband created that challenges players to "hum a few bars" to get their teammates to guess song titles.

By Lorraine Gingerich and Lorraine Gingerich,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | March 28, 2002

HOW DO you sum up four years of high school? River Hill High School English teachers have found a way with the Senior Portfolios, which were displayed in an exhibition last week in the school's dining center. "The senior portfolio is a culmination of four years of high school," said Diane Curry, a River Hill English teacher who helped develop the activity in which students showcase their high school careers visually, in writing and in a speech. Students receive a packet with guidelines for completing the portfolio.

By Hilary E. MacGregor and Hilary E. MacGregor,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | December 10, 2001

Lean back. Shut your eyes. Think '80s. Think Journey. Oliver North. Wham! Savings-and-loan scandal. Michael Milken. White House astrologers. The glory days of excess, selfishness, greed. Me! Most of us can attest, as decades go, that the 1980s were a low point; a time of big hair, bad music and grasping materialism. But, like a fine wine, given the mellowing influence of time, even the goofiest decade is ripe for nostalgia. At least that is what three sibling entrepreneurs, all in their 20s, were banking on when they came up with their idea for The 80's Game.

Adult board games can be ideal icebreakers or ways to further probe the psyches of those you already know and love. Granted, you may not love them so much after hearing them explain why they'd prefer to be caught picking their nose and eating it instead of wetting their pants in front of their co-workers, while playing Zobmondo!!Zobmondo!! -- in which contestants must choose one of two bizarre hypothetical situations and discuss why -- is one of the hot board games joining the ranks of such best-selling adult classics as Scattergories, Taboo and Pictionary, and old reliables like Monopoly and Scrabble.

Let's play a game. I ask you a question, you answer it. There are no winners or losers; no need to be competitive, petty or defensive.C'mon, it'll be fun. Why won't you just cooperate? What are you trying to do? Ruin the holidays for your entire family? There goes my heart again! Just play, you ingrate!OK. First question: What's a good way to ease the tension surrounding family interaction during the holidays?A. Drink.B. Drink more.C. Play a game.If you answered C, you're partly there -- and you'll probably remember a good deal more about the holidays.

"People," says Lee Salawitch, "are going to read this and think I have no life at all."You do have a life, Lee Salawitch. You are a 33-year-old Baltimore travel agent -- and you seem like a nice guy. Just because your hobby is watching many hours of television to ingest many bits of trivia so you can kick trivia tail today at the Midwest Trivia Contest is nothing to be shy about.Since 1982, he has represented Baltimore with distinction in this annual contest, which attracts hundreds of minutiae men and women for a 50-hour trivia marathon.

LADIES and gentlemen of the General Assembly, start your campaigns. And in case all of you incumbents don't get it, the just completed session is a casebook example of why it's better to be running on the outside than playing on the inside.This is the year of the massive turnover, and incumbents are becoming more endangered than the spotted owl. The rap sheet brackets both sides of the assembly's record -- what they did do and what they didn't.At one extreme the legislature repealed the income surtax on the very rich.

By Lorraine Gingerich and Lorraine Gingerich,SPECIAL TO THE SUN | March 28, 2002

HOW DO you sum up four years of high school? River Hill High School English teachers have found a way with the Senior Portfolios, which were displayed in an exhibition last week in the school's dining center. "The senior portfolio is a culmination of four years of high school," said Diane Curry, a River Hill English teacher who helped develop the activity in which students showcase their high school careers visually, in writing and in a speech. Students receive a packet with guidelines for completing the portfolio.

Let's play a game. I ask you a question, you answer it. There are no winners or losers; no need to be competitive, petty or defensive.C'mon, it'll be fun. Why won't you just cooperate? What are you trying to do? Ruin the holidays for your entire family? There goes my heart again! Just play, you ingrate!OK. First question: What's a good way to ease the tension surrounding family interaction during the holidays?A. Drink.B. Drink more.C. Play a game.If you answered C, you're partly there -- and you'll probably remember a good deal more about the holidays.

THEY SAY that television game shows aren't as popular as they used to be, but "Jeopardy!" is still going strong.I'd rather watch talk shows, which seem to be proliferating like rabbits, because I love to talk and I hate games unless they are out-of-doors and I've got a front seat or am part of the action.If there is one thing that makes me feel inferior, it is "Jeopardy!" and its answers that have to be put in the form of questions by three contestants who you know have been boning up for weeks on reference books and almanacs.

Mary Pat Blaylock hopes to have the toy industry humming about her fledgling business in Columbia's Long Reach Village next year.Two years ago, while studying for her master's degree in business administration at Georgetown University, she decided she wanted to start herown business.Last week, a Mall in Columbia toy store agreed to buy the first 24 boxes of "Humm. . .ble," a board game Blaylock and her husband created that challenges players to "hum a few bars" to get their teammates to guess song titles.